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Prosecutors say the glamorous lifestyle of a European lawmaker masked a corruption scandal in Qatar. It revealed how vulnerable Brussels is to foreign influence.
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By Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Monika Pronczuk, Tariq Panja and Sarah Hurtes
A team of journalists reported from Brussels, where the European Parliament carries out most of its work, and Doha, Qatar, host of the World Cup.
Princes and presidents walked the white marble floors of the ultra-selective V. V. I. P. box. overlooking the box for the first match of the World Cup. I would recognize: Eva Kaili.
Kaili, a Greek politician, was vice president of the European Parliament, an expanding framework with limited powers (and 14 vice-presidents). She was private, said the other people who saw her in the V. V. I. P. box.
And then, less than a day later, he returned to Brussels, delivering an impassioned defense of Qatar in opposition to complaints about its exploitation of migrant staff who built World Cup stadiums.
“The World Cup in Qatar is proof, in fact, of how international sports relations can achieve a historic transformation of a country with reforms that encouraged the Arab world,” Kaili said. He rebuked Qatar’s critics as thugs to them or engage in corruption for them. “
Less than 3 weeks later, she is in jail, accused of exchanging political decisions for money. The Belgian government charged her last weekend along with her life partner, Francesco Giorgi, and two others in an investigation into Qatar’s influence. Police raids revealed 1. 5 million euros in cash. Approximately part of it was discovered in a hotel room occupied by Ms. Kaili’s father; Another 150,000 euros discovered in the apartment Kaili shared with her partner, prosecutors said.
The case, which the Belgian government says it has been building for more than a year with the help of its secret services, has revealed what prosecutors say is a formula of money please at the heart of the European Union. And it has exposed the vulnerabilities of an opaque and notoriously bureaucratic formula that makes political decisions for another 450 million people in the club of the world’s richest nations.
Kaili’s lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, said he was innocent. “I just had no wisdom about money,” he said.
Giorgi’s lawyer had no comment. Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported Thursday, showing sealed documents, that Giorgi cooperated with investigators.
Qatar has vehemently denied the allegations.
The investigation rocked sleeping Brussels and unleashed a wave of whispered accusations of corrupt habit among lawmakers of all political persuasions. It also drew scrutiny from foreign influence at a time when the European Union is announcing itself about issues such as human rights and the war in Ukraine.
In addition to Qatar, the Belgian government is also investigating ties to Morocco, a government official familiar with the matter said.
What is the World Cup? The quadrennial event pits the best national football teams against others for the name of world champion. Here’s a preview of the 2022 men’s tournament:
Where is it located? This year’s host is Qatar, which beat the United States and Japan in 2010 to win the right to host the tournament. Whether it is a fair festival is still in dispute.
When is it? The tournament opened on November 20, when Qatar faced Ecuador. During the next two weeks, 4 matches will be played maximum days. The tournament ends with the final on December 18.
Is a winter World Cup normal? No. La World Cup is held regularly in July. But in 2015, FIFA concluded that summer temperatures in Qatar can have unpleasant consequences and agreed to move the tournament to the bearable months of November and December.
How many groups compete? Thirty-two. Qatar qualified as hosts and, after years of matches, the other 31 groups got the right to come and play. Meet the groups here.
How does the tournament work? The 32 organizations are divided into 8 organizations out of four. In the opening phase, the team plays against all other organizations in its organization once. The two most sensible organizations advance to the knockout rounds. After that, the World Cup is a knockout tournament.
How can I watch the World Cup in the United States?The tournament will air on Fox and FS1 in English, and on Telemundo in Spanish. You can stream it live on Peacock or via streaming offered by Fox and FS1. Here’s how to watch each and every game.
When will the games take place? Qatar is 3 hours ahead of London, 8 hours ahead of New York and 11 hours ahead of Los Angeles. That there will be kick-offs before dawn on the U. S. East Coast. UU for some games and the afternoon starts at 10 p. m. m. games in Qatar.
Still have questions? We have more here.
“It’s been a complicated week in Brussels,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told EU leaders on Thursday. that those other people perceive that they are going to be caught.
Investigators in Washington also tried to crack down on illegal foreign lobbying, adding to Qatar, which has been accused of bribing its way to winning the World Cup. Disclosure Requirements. Most of this influence peddling takes place under the secret aegis of diplomacy.
This is especially true in the European Parliament, the least harsh establishment but only directly elected in the European Union’s force design. Its 705 legislators pass laws and participate in the legislative process, however, their debates, occasions and resolutions usually have an effect on the reputation of those involved.
“Parliament is readily available and has become a magnet for all kinds of lobbyists,” said Michiel van Hulten, director of Transparency International USA and a former European lawmaker. Therefore, it is easy to operate under the radar and not get caught,” he added.
Eva Kaili, 44, and Francesco Giorgi, 35, began dating in the labyrinthine halls of parliament in 2017, according to other people familiar with them. This is his first term. He was the assistant to a prominent member of Parliament, Pier Antonio Panzeri. Both were members of the group of center-left Socialists and Democrats.
This account is based on interviews with two dozen lawmakers, Belgian and EU government officials, and aides familiar with the case and those involved, as well as a review of personal correspondence, years of social media posts, draft policies, and voting records.
Most of those interviewed for this article requested anonymity because they did not need to be involved in a high-profile criminal investigation.
Kaili and Giorgi documented their lives in social media posts that exuded good fortune and confidence: sailing in the Aegean, skiing on Mont Blanc, visiting mosques in Oman and sipping cocktails in Menorca.
The couple passed coronavirus lockdowns in combination most commonly in Athens, Kaili told Greek tabloids that have long covered her personal life, and last February welcomed a baby girl into the world.
Giorgi is linked to the corruption investigation not only through his partner, but also through his former boss. daughter were also arrested in her hometown near Milan.
Panzeri’s lawyer responded to requests for comment.
The government alleges that Mr. Panzeri played a central role in maintaining relations with Qatari and Moroccan officials and in facilitating the sending of money to Brussels, adding through a non-governmental organization that he heads.
In the run-up to the World Cup, Ms. Kaili and Mr. Giorgi’s plea for Qatar has intensified. He opposed any attempt to condemn human rights violations in Qatar, an absolute monarchy that criminalizes homosexuality and requires a woman under 25 to download a father’s permit abroad.
She pushed for Qataris visiting the European Union not to have visas.
Colleagues said it had undermined parliamentary scrutiny over Qatar’s handling of the World Cup.
Hannah Neumann, an EU lawmaker from Germany who chairs the committee on relations with the Arabian Peninsula, had been making plans for a committee in Doha for more than a year. Committee members were expected to critically assess Qatar’s progress ahead of the start of the World Cup. .
Then, in late September, he was told by the Qatari government that the vacation had to be canceled because the building where they would meet was under construction.
Neumann said she was stunned and angry a month later when Kaili appeared in Doha instead. It was fixed, said other people familiar with its scale.
“She makes much more pro-Qatar statements than the parliament’s position, claiming to speak for parliament,” Neumann said in an interview with The Times.
Kaili’s lawyer and spokesman for the parliament speaker said she was an official mission.
Two weeks later, in mid-November, a probably uncontroversial solution critical of Qatar’s human rights record met with unforeseen resistance.
Even Ms. Kaili’s political allies were frustrated. “As Social Democrats, we will have to lead by example by highlighting human rights violations,” Danish lawmaker Niels Fuglsang said in an interview. One of those recently investigated – he did not want to say who – and was finally rejected.
He replaced through another who praised Qatar for reforms that are “an example for the Gulf region. “The new text states that Qatar “has already improved the operating and living conditions of many thousands of workers. “Qatari officials have in fact implemented adjustments to their arduous work sponsorship system, although activists say they are insufficient.
Determined to scrap the final resolution, Giorgi, who was running for a new MP, sent an email to all Socialist lawmakers to vote against an amendment that said Qatar had bribed to win the World Cup host.
“The European Parliament will not accuse a country without evidence from the competent judicial authorities,” read the email, sent on behalf of lawmaker Andrea Cozzolino. When the vote took position on November 24, it managed to cut the language of corruption.
Since her arrest, Kaili has been stripped of her name as vice president and expelled from her Greek party, Pasok, and from her political organization in the European Parliament, the Socialists and Democrats. The Greek government is also investigating its finances.
The European Parliament was due to vote this week on Qatar’s visa-free proposal. This vote, and all other Qatar-related matters, have been suspended.
Mrs Kaili’s vigorous lobbying for the small Gulf state was not entirely for the European Parliament.
In the days following the arrests, lawmakers and agents pointed fingers at private, accusing rivals of clandestine efforts. But the ability to hold undisclosed meetings with foreign agents is enshrined in Parliament’s rules.
“It’s not like there is a grey domain in Brussels,” said M. van Hulten of Transparency International USA. “That’s how the establishments looked for it. “
Kaili’s remarks may not have prompted any policy changes, which are basically worked out through the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm. But Parliament is perfectly prepared to produce everything Qatar needed: positive publicity.
The scandal may be damaging Qatar’s reputation at a time when officials prefer to focus on hosting the World Cup, for which they have been preparing for more than a decade.
The tournament, which ends Sunday, is the basis of a $220 billion nation-building major allocation for a state the size of Connecticut, and is part of a broader push through Qatar’s leaders to gain influence around the world. These efforts go beyond sport; they created a foreign airline and a global media empire, Al Jazeera. And like its Gulf neighbors, Qatar has spent a lot on pressuring Washington.
Researchers say those efforts are motivated, at least in part, by state political insecurity. Qatar is overshadowed by larger, tougher neighbors, joining Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The corruption allegations also highlighted a recent shift in European Union policy towards Qatar. Amid a power crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission has accepted Qatar as a source of herbal gas. Ms Metsola, Speaker of Parliament, advised reconsidering this.
“We would be less spilled than bought,” he said this week.
The scandal appears poised to reach more lawmakers, as the Belgian government raided the homes of several aides. This also generated deep distrust.
“I think the political battles we were having were based on fair political evidence that led to other conclusions,” Neumann said. “But now I know that I probably fight a network of corruption. “
The report provided through Vivian Nereim in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Koba Ryckewaert in Brussels; Elisabetta Povoledo in Milan; and Gaia Pianigiani in Siena, Italy.
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